Adjustable rail-fastening clip.



A. BITTER.

ADJUSTABLE RAIL FASTENING CLIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.21, 1912.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

ADAM BITTER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

ADJUSTABLE. RAIL-FASTENING CLIP.

Specification of Letters iatent.

Patented'Mar. 25, 191;.

Application filed March 2-1, 1912. Serial No. 685,303.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADAM BITTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Rail-Fastening Clips, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to adjustable rail clips. v

The objects of my invention are to provide adjustable fastening means to take the place of non-adjustable clips or of the ordinary spikes each having a claw which fits over the flange of the rail; to provide a clip for holding the rail securely and which may be easily adjusted into position against the rail without moving the position of the bolt to hold the rail firmly in position; and to provide a fastening means for rails which can be readily unfastened to allow the adjustment of gage of rail or to allow the rail to be removed and replaced without destroying or mutilating the timber or fastening means to which the rails are secured.

My invention consists broadly of a stationary bolt placed in timber or concrete upon which the rails .are mounted, a clip adapted to clamp the flange on said rail, said clip having an opening through which said bolt is adapted to pass, an eccentric sleeve plug adapted to fit over said bolt and enter the opening'in the clip for the purpose of holding and adjusting the clip with relation to the bolt and rail and means for holding the sleeve plug relative to and into engagement with said clip.

My invention consists more specifically in a bolt or lag screw firmly mounted or em- 40 bedded in timber or concrete over which a clip in the shape of a double flanged plate is placed, one side of which overlaps the flange of the rail, said'elip having a polygo nal opening in the middle thereof through which said bolt or lag screw is adapted to pass and a wedge shaped sleeve plug having a hole to receive saidfbolt or lag screw, said wedge shaped sleeve plug being polygonal in shape and adapted toentersaid polygo- 1ml opening in said clip, the hole in said wedge shaped sleeve plug being oiiscenter to form an eccentrically'shaped sleeve plug for the purpose of adjusting the clip laterally with relation to the bolt or lag screw.

In the drawings, which serve illustrate the construction, application and use of my invention: Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a rail with my invention applied thereto; Fig; 2 is across-section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 showing one stationary bolt in the shape of a lag screw mounted in timber, and the other bolt mounted in. concrete; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the doubleflanged clip with a polygonal hole near the center employed in my invention; Figs. 4., 5 and 6 are a plan, an elevational and perspective view, respectively, of the cocentric sleeve plug employed in my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents a rail having base flanges 2 mounted on a plate 3 which rests upon timber 1 or concrete 4.

To fasten the rail down to the timber or concrete securely I first provide a bolt 5 in case the foundation be concrete and a lag screw bolt 6 in .case the foundation be of wood construction. Suitable openings are provided in the plate 8 to allow-these bolts to be inserted properly. A clip 7 made in the shape of a plate (best shown in Fig. 3) is provided with a flange 8 at each side thereof which'acts as a clamp and is adapted to fit over the flanges 2 of the rail. A polygonal opening 9 is provided through clip 7 near its middle, the side nearest the flange 8 beingparallel and coinciding with the edge of the base flange 2 of the rail when the clip is in proper position. I preferably taper the opening 9 of the clip 7 toward the center from each side so that said opening is smaller in its center than it is at its top or bottom whereby said clip is made reversible.

The clip 7 is placed in position to clamp the rail, that is with one flange 8 extending over the flange 2 of the rail and the bolts 5 and 6 passing up through the openings 9 in the-respective clips or plates 7. A polyg' onal sleeve plug 10 is provided and is preferably octagonal in shape as shown to tit-the octagonal hole 9 in the clip and is provided with ahole which fits the bolts 5 and '6 which hole is placed off-center a proper distance to render the sleeve plug an eccentrical one-so that it will be adapted to enter the octagonal opening 9 when the clip seen by referring to Fig. 4 how this is accomplished by means first of the hole 11 being off of the center line 12 a suitable distance and being ofl of the center line 13 a short distance, thus making the center of said hole 11 a different distance from each of the facets 14c of the octagonal shaped sleeve plug 10. Thus when the clips are placed over the bolts 5 and 6 respectively and the shoulder 15 1s butted against the base flange 2 of the rail (thereby determining the distance between the edge of the base flange 2 of the rail and the center of the bolts 5 and 6 respectively) 1 fit the octagonal sleeve plug into the-opening 9 of the clip or plate 7 and bring the proper facet 14 into engagement with the side 16 of the opening 9 of the clip to fill said space between the bolt and the edge of the base flange 2 of the rail. This octagonal sleeve plug can be adjusted as is readily seen to eight positions, and by turning the plate over and puttin the opposite edge against the rail will give eight additional positions or sixteen in all, more or less,- it being ossible by a change in the shape of the s eeve plug. The sleeve plug is preferably provided with an annular flange 17 atthe top to-hold it slightly above the plate 3 and from wedging too ti htly in the plate or cli 7. The octagona sleeve plug is preferab y beveled slightly to form a tight fit in said clip when it is driven down into the opening 9 and also for the purpose of rendering it easier to.extricate the sleeve plug from the opening 9 in the clip when it is desired to remove the clip. The upper end of'the bolt 5 is screw threaded to allow a nut to be placed thereon and screwed down to hold the sleeve plug into engagement with the clip and to hold the clip in engagement with the rail.

When lag screws are used as shown at 6 the lag-screw can be started on its way and then the eccentric sleeve plug turned for the engagement of the facet with the side 16 of the opening 9 and the lag screw tightened down to hold the clips and rail.

It is evident from the construction shown that the rail can be adjusted laterally after the bolts have been permanently anchored in the timber or concrete without removing same for the purpose of adjusting the rails thus the nut on the bolt 5 can be loosened sufliciently to allow the eccentric sleeve plug 10t'obe raised out of engagement with the clip "7' and then the clip 7 can be moved toward or away from the flange 2 of the rail as desired and the eccentric sleeve, plug 10 then adjusted circumferentially to properly fit the opening 9 in the clip 7 after which the device can be properly tightened again, If the lag screws are used the lagscrew can beunscrewed a sufficient distance to allow the sleeve plug 10 to be raised out of engagement withthe clip 7.

oaaeae My invention while specially adapted and intended for adjustably securing rails as set forth is also adapted as an adjustable fastening for various other purposes.

Certain modifications of my invention may be made, especially in the shape of the eccentric sleeve plug, without departing from the spirit or scope thereof and I do not wish to be confined to the exact details shown.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An adjustable rail fastening comprising a bolt, a clip or plate having a polygonal opening therethrough, an eccentric sleeve plug having polygonal sides adapted to be adjustably mounted within said polygonal opening and having an opening therethrough adapted to receive said bolt and set off of the center of its axis in every direction to double the number ofadjustments obtainable, and means adapted to fit over said bolt and clamp said sleeve plug tightly between said clip and said bolt, substantially as set forth and for the purposes specified.

2. An adjustable raiLfaStening comprising a bolt, a reversible clip or'plate having a polygonal opening therethrough, an eccentric sleeve plug having polygonal sides adapted to be adjustably mounted within said polygonal opening and having an open ing therethrough to receive said bolt and set off of the center of its axis in every direction to double the number of adjustments obtainable, and means adapted to fit over said bolt and clamp said sleeve plug tightly between said clip and said bolt, substantially as set forth and for the purposes specified.

3. An adjustable rail fastening comprising a stationary bolt,'anchored in a suitable foundation for said rail, a clip having a polygonal opening therethrough and having a downwardly tapering flange upon one side and an.upwardly tapering flange upon the other side, a flanged eccentric sleeve plug having polygonal sides adapted to be adjustably mounted within said polygonal opening and having an opening therethrough adapted to receive said bolt, and a nut adapted to hold said eccentric flanged sleeve plug in its lowermost position, substantially as set forth and for the purposes specified.

4. An adjustable rail fastening comprising a bolt, a clip having a polygonal opening therein and surrounding said bolt, a portion of said clip being adapted to act as a clamp for a rail, a polygonal eccentric sleeve plug adapted to regulate the ,lateral position of said clip relative to, said .cbolt by means of -the circumferential position in .whichit is placed when it is inserted in the clip, and means on said bolt adapted to clamp said sleeve plug in its lowermost position,'said clip being tapered so that it is smaller in its center than it is at its top or bottom whereby the same is reversible, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. ln adjustable fastening means for rails, a bolt suitably mounted a short distance from said rail, a reversible clip having oppositely dis )osed flanges, and provided with a polygonal openin therethrough andarranged nearer one 6( go of said clip than the other, an eccentric polygonal sleeve plug adapted to fit between said bolt and said clip whereby said eccentric plug may be placed in different positions within said opening to move said clip to varying pusltions and whereby the )osition of said rlip relative to the rail may e reversed and said sleeve plug inserted in the op 'iosite side thereof to obtain additional :1 justlnents, substantially as set; forth and for the pur poses specified.

ADAM Rl'P'llGll. Witnesses JAMES N. RAMSEY, (iononc Gounon. 

